The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts

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Here, especially for high school students, is an analysis and summary of Arthur Miller's famous play. Titles in the Literature Made Easy Series analyze novels and plays found in most school curricula. More than mere plot summaries, these books explain themes, analyze characters, and discuss each author's unique writing style, mastery of language, and command of his material. Books also feature "Mind Maps," diagrams that summarize a work's most important details as a way to help students focus ideas for exams and term papers.

Arthur Miller, born in New York City, has been a prominent and influential playwright for the last half-century. His works include Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, and All My Sons. He has twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and in 1949 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Christopher Bigsby is professor of American studies at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England.

Editor's Note

p. vii

Introduction

p. 1

The Crucible

p. 3

Precision and Pseudo Precision in the Crucible

p. 19

The Long Shadow of the Law: the Crucible

p. 33

Arthur Miller's the Crucible: Background and Sources

p. 55

John Proctor's Playing in the Crucible

p. 69

The Crucible of History: Arthur Miller's John Proctor

p. 77

History, Myth, and Name Magic in Arthur Miller's the Crucible

p. 83

History and Other Spectres in Arthur Miller's the Crucible

p. 95

The Crucible

p. 113

Betrayal and Blessedness: Explorations of Feminine Power in the Crucible, a View from the Bridge, and After the Fall

p. 123

John Proctor and the Crucible of Individuation in Arthur Miller's the Crucible

p. 153

Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Miller's the Crucible: a Feminist Reading